The Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa has finished its election and includes its youngest ever member, 27-year old Karan Bhosale. He hopes to bring the Bar Council to younger lawyers of whom most show only little interest in bar politics, particularly if working on the transactional side. And while Bhosale has worked in law firms for a number of years, full law firm representation eludes the Maharashtra Council unlike in Delhi: ALMT Legal partner Hitesh Jain did not make the cut to the Bar Council this time.

Young lawyers remain on tenterhooks about the bar exam, after BCI chairman and solicitor general Sobramaniam thought out loud about how the exam will be put on by December. For one, it will probably be an open book test, which should have brought comfort, although commenters are severely divided even on this. Even more contentious then is the proposal that only those who pass the bar exam will be allowed to practice in court, while law firm lawyers will be exempt.

Could this create a split in the profession along UK barrister/solicitor lines? Or could it go so far as to reject the theory behind the Lawyers Collective judgment that "legal practice" is indivisible, like an atom?

Meanwhile, getting on with it, seven lawyers have put generational and geographical differences aside and started a partnership to target second tier cities.

Luthra & Luthra reinforced its young Mumbai office this week with some Indo-UK corporate power, hiring former Clifford Chancer and Trilegal partner Sudipta Routh as a partner.

Luthra also won a double-whammy victory this week together with DLA Piper, clinching the competitive government tenders for the disinvestments in both Coal India and Engineers India Limited (EIL), fighting top international and domestic firms for the prize.

On the other hand youth has been an obstacle to some of the newer national law schools, such as HNLU Raipur. But a number of top firms have been picking off the best students from HNLU. A smart move, as the competition between candidates may be tamer in some quarters than the fight between law firms to get the top students from the same-old institutions.

Old-school connections that go way back were key in the sale of Bank of Rajasthan to ICICI Bank, however, with Paras Kuhad and Amarchand advising. Freshfields and Trilegal have been busy on the Godrej purchase of the Godrej Sara Lee joint venture.

Legal Pulse:
The Delhi High Court has stopped the creep of service tax over immovable property, reaffirming an earlier decision although questions remain.

Top blogs this week:
John2010 decodes what the prime minister really said about legal education and what he should have said. Good stuff.

LegalPoet with two poems this week, one of which is his best yet according to a reader: Dreams, the great leveller of Law Students and the roly-poly Chinese dog justice of the Civil Procedure Code.

Nandii Reywal gives advice on how to beat the recession blues - by losing his firm £2800 and being evil. (By the way, were we the last to notice that nandii reywal is an anagram?)

Anirban1 argues convincingly that holding a pan-India bar exam will be nigh on impossible considering the disparity between the top and bottom law schools in India. He also exposes the government's callousness where even basic schemes like the provision of mid-day meals to students have failed as feared by legendary scholar Tagore, who was wary of home grown oppressors. Plus: an exercise in ethics for the Bar Council of India, flaunting the RTI Act.

Allym on how Indian courts are chaotic, especially during vacations and "Let me" has returned with rhetoric against capital punishment in the context of Kasab.

And from newcomers: A short and personal story on the age-old boon/bane of reservations and friendship, the tragedy of witches and human rights in modern day India.

Drawing parallels between the epitome of evil of the mythological demon king Ravana and a modern day law professor.

A final year student wants to organise a grassroots campaign to oppose the "tyranny" of the Bar Council.

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